CAMPAIGN TO WARN PEOPLE ABOUT FRAUD LAUNCHED AS 354 COUNTY VICTIMS LOST £5.3M IN YEAR

HUNDREDS of people fell victim to a form of fraud last year, with victims losing out on a combined £5.3 million.

- By TOM MACK

Figures from Action Fraud, showed that last year, 354 victims made reports of investment fraud to Leicestershire police.

Investment fraud occurs when criminals approach individuals and persuade them to invest in schemes or products that are either worthless or entirely fictitious.

Fraudsters may claim to offer opportunities in foreign exchange, gold and other valuable metals, overseas time-shares or cryptocurrency, promising unrealistically high returns.

People aged 35 to 44 were most likely to be targeted for investment fraud.

Nationally, there were 25,843 reports with a total value of £649 million lost fraudsters. The figure for Leicestershire was £5,384,418.

The number of victims was 7 per cent lower than in 2023, but the value of loss increased by 13 per cent in 2024.